Page contents
- What is gastroenteritis
- symptoms
- Causes and risk factors
- Multiples
- Diagnosis
- treatment
- protection
Gastroenteritis is also called Stomach flu, but it is not really similar to the flu.
When gastroenteritis occurs, inflammation of the intestines occurs, often due to a specific virus, bacteria, or parasite.
Gastroenteritis virus is the second most common pathogen in the United States of America.
The risk of gastroenteritis is that the patient is exposed to dehydration because the fluid lost through diarrhea and vomiting is not replaced. This condition affects children, the elderly, and people with low immunity in particular.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis
The most prominent symptoms of gastroenteritis are the following:
1. Symptoms of general gastroenteritis
The main symptoms of gastroenteritis are as follows:
- Diarrhea: Diarrhea is the most prominent symptom of gastroenteritis, and the virus may prevent fluid reabsorption, causing loose stools.
- Malabsorption: This is caused by the destruction of intestinal cells called enterocytes.
- Stomach pain: Cramps and stomach pain may occur with diarrhea.
- Nausea and vomiting: Vomiting is a common sign of gastroenteritis.
- High temperature: High temperature occurs due to the capture of the infection causing the disease.
2. Symptoms of dehydration caused by gastroenteritis
As mentioned earlier, some may become dehydrated due to diarrhea and vomiting. Here are the most prominent signs of dehydration:
- Feeling very thirsty.
- Passing less urine than usual.
- Dark color of urine.
- Eyes, or sunken cheeks.
- Headache and dizziness when standing.
- General tiredness and fatigue.
Causes and risk factors for gastroenteritis
There are many causes, factors, and ways that cause gastroenteritis, so let's learn about that in the following:
1. Causes of gastroenteritis
Among the most important causes of gastroenteritis are the following bacteria:
- Norovirus
The virus affects both children and adults and is the most common cause of foodborne illness in the world.
The virus is transmitted through contaminated water and food, and the disease spreads quickly in crowded places.
Symptoms usually last 1-3 days.
- rotavirus
Rotavirus is the main cause of viral gastroenteritis in children, most often affecting children 3 to 15 months of age.
Symptoms resolve within 3-7 days, but symptoms are less severe in adults.
With the advent of the rotavirus vaccine, the incidence of viral gastroenteritis was reduced by 80%.
- Adenovirus
Adenoviruses infect children under the age of two.
Symptoms resolve within 5-12 days.
- Astrovirus
The virus affects infants and young children most often, but it can infect anyone.
The virus is usually transmitted through the fecal-oral route, and symptoms last between 3-4 days.
- bacteria
Although viruses are the main cause of the disease, bacteria may cause gastroenteritis, and the most prominent types of bacteria that cause disease are:
- Salmonella.
- Shigella (Shigella).
- Clostridium difficile infection.
- Escherichia coli.
- parasites
Most cases of parasitic gastroenteritis are caused by giardia or cryptosporidium by drinking contaminated water or swimming in contaminated water.
- other reasons
Certain medications or chemical toxins, such as metals or plant materials, can cause gastroenteritis.
2. Risk factors
Among the main factors that increase the risk of developing gastroenteritis are:
- Infants and young children: The immune system is not yet fully developed, so the child is more susceptible to gastroenteritis.
- Older adults: The immune system becomes weaker with age.
- Being in crowded places: such as: schools, nurseries, and nursing homes.
- Low immunity: People with diseases that weaken immunity, such as AIDS, are more susceptible to gastroenteritis.
3. Methods of disease transmission
Among the most common ways that gastroenteritis is transmitted between people are:
- Eating contaminated food, or raw, uncooked food.
- Drinking contaminated water.
- Direct contact with infected people.
- Use a dirty utensil.
Complications of gastroenteritis
Among the main complications of gastroenteritis are the following:
- dehydration and malabsorption.
- Lactose resistance.
- Chronic diarrhea.
- Transmission of infection to other body systems, such as: meningitis, arthritis, and pneumonia.
- Septicemia.
Diagnosis of gastroenteritis
Usually the doctor can diagnose the disease based on the symptoms, but the doctor may order some tests to rule out other diseases with similar symptoms, and the most prominent tests conducted are:
1. Examination of stool
The test is done to check for the presence of bacteria, viruses, or parasites in the stool.
2. Sigmoidoscopy
It is an examination in which the doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube containing a camera to look inside the intestine, through which the doctor can detect the presence of inflammatory bowel disease.
The analysis takes approximately 15 minutes.
Treating gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is treated as follows:
1. Drug treatment of gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is often treated on its own, especially when the cause is viral and does not require any medication.
If the cause is bacterial, then the patient is given an appropriate antibiotic according to the type of bacteria he has.
It should also be mentioned that no anti-diarrheal is used, as this increases the duration of infection.
2. Home treatment for gastroenteritis
Treatment is usually done using the following home methods:
- Let the stomach calm down
Taking a break of several hours from eating solid foods at a time may relieve stomach problems.
- Avoid eating certain types of foods
You should avoid eating some foods that irritate the stomach, such as: caffeine, alcohol, dairy products, fats, and spicy foods.
- Eat light
Eat foods that calm the stomach, such as: toast, bananas, potatoes, rice, and chicken.
- Drink plenty of fluids
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Some babies may need to take a local rehydration solution, and if a baby has gastroenteritis, he should be breastfed as usual.
- Get some rest
The patient must take a good rest and sleep well from getting sick.
Prevention of gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is prevented by following these steps:
1. Taking a rotavirus vaccine
A rotavirus vaccine may help reduce gastroenteritis, but not eliminate it completely due to the presence of other disease-causing factors.
2. Take care of personal hygiene and wash hands well
Since the disease is transmitted by fecal-oral route, care must be taken to wash hands after touching any surface, changing a child's nappy, or touching an infected person.
3. Monitoring the quality of food intake
Be careful to eat a clean and light food on the stomach, and the most important tips that you should take are:
- Clean kitchen surfaces well.
- Avoid eating raw food without cooking.
- Consume pasteurized dairy and apple juice.
- Wash vegetables and fruits well.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Avoid cooking when you feel symptoms of the disease for two days.
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